DAVAO CITY – A 42-year-old worker of the Davao City Bulk Water Supply Project (DCBWSP) contractor died while three others were hospitalized after inhaling toxic gas while installing a pipeline in Barangay Buhangin Proper here on Friday, April 21. The Davao City Buhangin Police Station identified the victim as Jaime Diaz Gabutero, a resident of Biao Joaquin in Tugbok District of and an employee of contractor WITCO Construction and Development Corp. Apo Agua Infrastructura Inc. (Apo Agua) mourned the death of Gabutero. "It is with deep regret that we confirm the untimely death of our contractor's worker following an incident at the site last Friday, April 21," Apo Agua said in a statement released on Saturday, April 22. Police identified the hospitalized workers as Jovan Manayon Tungal, 34, a resident of Acacia in Lower Tamugan; Joshua Guadalupe Villanueva, 33, a resident of Tawan-Tawan, Baguio District; and Ryan Marayan Calo, 42, a resident of Tagakpan in Tugbok District. Apo Agua said the four workers were installing a pipeline when they experienced difficulty breathing. The company immediately contacted Davao City Central 911 and the Barangay Buhangin Proper Community Emergency Response Team. Responders pulled out three workers from the pipeline and rushed them to the hospital where they are now in stable condition. Gabutero was left inside and retrieved by an emergency crew and brought to Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) here where he was pronounced dead due to suffocation. Police said the workers had trouble installing the pipeline due to the water that accumulated inside, and, as a result, they used a submersible pump to siphon the water off. Throughout the procedure, the workers reported smelling an unidentified gas and had shortness of breath, prompting them to leave the location immediately, except for Gabutero, who was left behind. "We are cooperating with the authorities to investigate the matter further, as workplace safety is something we take very seriously. We extend our heartfelt condolences and prayers to the family and loved ones of the deceased in this difficult time," Apo Agua said. The DCBWSP of the Davao City Water District (DCWD) is one of the country's largest bulk water supply infrastructure projects that will shift Davao City's dependence from groundwater wells as its main water supply to the more sustainably sourced surface water from the Tamugan River.